Ylan Ha

About Me

I am a recent Cal graduate with a bachelor's degree in integrative biology. Currently, I work full-time in a biotech company treating prostate cancer patients. Besides that, I try to find time to write, draw, and play piano.

To paraphrase Anton Chekhov: science is my wife and art my mistress.

Why do you write?

I like to spend time thinking about my past experiences and how they mold my character and personality. That's usually when my thoughts motivate me to write. I don't see myself as a strong writer, but I enjoy it nonetheless. One of my memorable classes in Berkeley was a college writing class where Professor Jane Hammons, a fellow Fictionaut, inspired us to write and find our voice. I want to work on my narrative style and I take pleasure in writing literary and film analyses.

Any favorite authors? Books?

Anton Chekhov, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adam, O. Henry, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and John Green (the list will continue once I have the time to read more books)

The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Sherlock Holmes, Esperanza Rising, and The Fault in Our Stars, the Gentleman Bastard Series